TRENTON, NJ — White House border czar Tom Homan said Tuesday that the administration needs additional funding for immigration enforcement and criticized sanctuary cities for limiting cooperation with federal authorities.
Homan said sanctuary states like New Jersey are putting migrants and citizens in harm’s way by locking immigration officials out of jails, forcing them to take their enforcement efforts into the streets.
Homan said the Department of Homeland Security is operating at full capacity but requires more resources. “We’re hitting on all cylinders but we need more money to do more,” he said.
Homan announced the opening of a 1,000 unit migrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey last week.
He also criticized sanctuary cities for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, saying such policies push operations into neighborhoods rather than jails. “Sanctuary cities want to keep locking us out of jails. They force us into the neighborhood to find the bad guys. When we find the bad guy, many times they’re with others,” he said.
Homan claimed that border crossings had dropped significantly since new enforcement measures were put in place. “We had border numbers down 90 percent in three weeks,” he said. “Think what this president’s going to do in the next four to six months.”
“We need money for more beds. We need money for more flights,” Homan told reporters after a media appearance. “We need Congress to step up and give us the money we need so President Trump can keep his promise to the American people.”